Which plants, flowers, weeds and other garden finds do you use

[DARC MIND]

thanks jay, i thought maybe sow could also be mixed up but that catsear can really fool someone.

Those sow thistle are similar to what i have, however i noticied on some of the plants the flowers are pink. Also the leaves don't look exactly the same

ther are many different sow thistles and thistles, some of mine give yellow, to pale white flowers and i think ive seen pink as well.
try here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thistle
they have some common names and some images of thistles that may help, then do a search for the nutritional value using the scientific name if you think you found it.
and yes weeds are great greens for compost piles, you want more browns then greens.

also my soil is pretty much all sand, some clay and like 2% organic matter. im added more and more organic matter and letting weeds grow a decent size then green mulch or compost the material.the weeds im sure help harbor native microbes who im sure make use of all those minerals(sand) in my soil.
in one year i noticed a huge increase in worms(coffee grounds & fall leaves) , centipedes, pill bugs, earwigs (life) and the garden is looking better and better.
I also have gotten a lot of edible weeds/beneficial weeds from composting fresh manure from the local dairies in my parts. Damn near all the weeds that grew out of manure are edible, those damn cows know what to eat. Most people don’t like using fresh manure because they harbor weed seeds but those weeds do much for my soil and the manure just gets treated with lots of fall leaves, shredded news paper and saw dust for a few months and its good to go. Just be careful because not all manure is good quality poop

 

[*Journeyman*]

Remember the Bass-o-matic '76? lol

LOL...classic stuff!

Most people don’t like using fresh manure because they harbor weed seeds

My understanding is this is true with horse manure. HM has 'super weeds' and have seen them lol. My dad used to lay down green cow manure very early spring every year and never had a weed problem.

 

[DARC MIND]

i am also getting lots of beneficial plants, char, rock dust, forest leaf litter, soil and culturing microbes from several parks and mountains near me. Jay has helped much in my quest, literally pin pointed many of my resources.
also try this site
eat the weedsmay take a while to veiw
i believe this dude is in florida and has many videos on edible weeds and some good info
you can thank jay for this as well, i cant give that dude any more rep

 

[DARC MIND]

My understanding is this is true with horse manure. HM has 'super weeds' and have seen them lol. My dad used to lay down green cow manure very early spring every year and never had a weed problem.

haha, i wish i could find a good source of horse poo, but i do get weeds from the cows here, again not all manure are the same.
so far ive ID'd mallow, chickweed, sowthistle, dead nettle, clovers and dandaloins from the cow poop.
great stuff

 

[guest2012y]

I don't really stress on weeds in my raised beds. I will pull them if they start to get to look like they are going to start competing for light,water,nutes. I also use local cow manure,have not noticed if it adds to the weeds or not...interesting.
Where can I get a Bass-o-matic?..........(SNL Retro Kitchen Appliances)

 

[*Journeyman*]

I've been told the weed weed thing has more to do with the amount of stomachs the animal has. Horses only having one allows certain species to pass through. I watched an acre of land locally get totally taken over by some nasty kind of weed in two years after horse manure was laid down.

Always thought cow manure was OK because of the digestion process. I mean they start by upchucking and chewing again. Maybe with cow manure part of the issue is seeds being blown onto manure after the meadow muffins are made?

 

[*Journeyman*]

Where can I get a Bass-o-matic?..........(SNL Retro Kitchen Appliances)

The store is right next to Trough and Brew

 

[jaykush]

Weeds are highly nutritious and so much more so than conventional veggies. For the last 20 years most of my spring salads contain chickweed, miners lettuce, candy flower, dandelion, plantain, yellow dock, yarrow, mint, lamb's quarter, watercress, red clover, mulva. We also have comfrey (feels like velcro in your mouth...lol), horsetail, amaranth, nettles, mullein, burdock, cleavers, chamomile.

you eat nettles in spring salads, you are a brave man lol. chickweed grows crazy here, everyone i know hates it until they see me bend down and grab a handful to eat and then asks what i just did. mullien leaves wow thats some tough stuff how does that taste? we just use the flowers as a cough medicine in tea form.

Remember the Bass-o-matic '76? lol

lmfao i remember yea that shit is too funny.

I'm still pretty young but have been growing for almost 5 years now, so i'm new to this and being the only Floridian don't know too much of the local stuff. The only edible plant i know of around me is cattail, so i have much more research to go.

visit the link DM posted about eat the weeds, he is in florida. make sure to check out his youtube videos, he has an EXCELLENT system when it comes to eating weeds. he calls it
I.T.E.M.ize which i think we should use here as well. even if we dont eat it.
I = identification
T= time of year
E=environment
M= method of preparation

hes got over 100 videos of plants around Florida and the also around the world that are eatable. but a lot of them can be used as growing material.

DM - i recently found out mallow is very high in N and can be used as a veg fert.

 

[guest2012y]

I've always heard and been told by old timers that you don't want to use horse manure...........hence the term,"Horse Shit".... not good.

 

[big ballin 88]

One good thing is i can get all the horse manure i want!!

On a side note that guy seems to be farther north but can be helpful since i take hunting trips up that way and can find stuff when i'm about. He does have very interesting stuff as some of this stuff grows down south, not to mention i found out the main weed in my yard. Its is Crepis Japonica and it does have edible uses. Thanks for this link this guide is amaizng. I've found most of the weeds that grow in my yard are very edible. As a matter of fact most of the stuff around here s edible!

This is really starting to amaze me, seeing all edible plants that i just step on, throw out and try to destroy year round for my dad. I would've never known they were edible, such as crabgrass which is the most annoying thing ever, but now may become a salad lol.

I guess it would also be worth it to pick up some cow manure and see what comes through there.

Nettles aren't bad at all i had ate some in Ireland, i just dont like the constsnt feeling like having barbs stuck on your tongue lol.

 

[jaykush]

On a side note that guy seems to be farther north but can be helpful since i take hunting trips up that way and can find stuff when i'm about. He does have very interesting stuff as some of this stuff grows down south, not to mention i found out the main weed in my yard. Its is Crepis Japonica and it does have edible uses. Thanks for this link this guide is amaizng. I've found most of the weeds that grow in my yard are very edible. As a matter of fact most of the stuff around here s edible!

hell i dont even live anywhere near florida, actually across the country. but those videos were a great resource and well worth watching them all. i identified at least 10 eatable plants here that before i just used for compost.

Nettles aren't bad at all i had ate some in Ireland, i just dont like the constsnt feeling like having barbs stuck on your tongue lol.

well i eat nettles, just not raw lol. cooked there good. not cooked....not so good.

I've always heard and been told by old timers that you don't want to use horse manure...........hence the term,"Horse Shit".... not good.

thanks to ganja din i now turn local FREE horse shit into biochar. no need to smash it in the end its GREAT!

 

[*Journeyman*]

you eat nettles in spring salads, you are a brave man lol. chickweed grows crazy here, everyone i know hates it until they see me bend down and grab a handful to eat and then asks what i just did. mullien leaves wow thats some tough stuff how does that taste? we just use the flowers as a cough medicine in tea form.

I don't eat that stuff in the second sentence. Some goldenseal around here too but pretty rare. We have lots of wild lupines and the seeds are a good and unique protein source. Could probably be ground up and used in compost. Pretty large beans so easy to collect.

For mullien you can put a large leaf in your shoe when hiking and helps with soreness. I used to add mullein flowers, the pink rootlets EDIT: of yarrow (not the white roots) and wild hops into a jar of olive oil and let soak in the sun for a few days. Now learned extra virgin coconut oil would probably be better. Made a good analgesic balm of sorts.

I think the nettles thing is more for stuff like soups. Dried and ground the leaves are good in pills...HIGHLY nutritious. Just wear gloves when collecting and a long sleeve shirt otherwise like jumping into a beehive...LOL.

 

[quadracer]

LOL who eats uncooked nettles? They are very medicinal too, I once had a strong nettle soup that was delicious and healing.

Fun fact: Nettle is also its own cure.

 

[DARC MIND]

DM - i recently found out mallow is very high in N and can be used as a veg fert.

i also read its a good source of calcium and magnesium. thinking of using this with the nettle like one would use cal mag, let them ferment together or separate and add together?? any thoughts...
They also contain potassium, iron, selenium, and vitamins A and C
i tried them in the salad and they were pretty bomb

Always thought cow manure was OK because of the digestion process. I mean they start by upchucking and chewing again. Maybe with cow manure part of the issue is seeds being blown onto manure after the meadow muffins are made?

you could be right, the manure i get is pilled a mile high and i dig in the middle for the goods. i think seeds get pooped out a lot of animals, birds and bats cant be the only ones

 

[jaykush]

I don't eat that stuff in the second sentence. Some goldenseal around here too but pretty rare. We have lots of wild lupines and the seeds are a good and unique protein source. Could probably be ground up and used in compost. Pretty large beans so easy to collect.

lol i know, i was just joking, only an idiot would eat fresh nettles and damn that shit would be funny to watch. we have lupines here ill have to give that a try come season for it. just eat em like nuts or what?

I think the nettles thing is more for stuff like soups. Dried and ground the leaves are good in pills...HIGHLY nutritious. Just wear gloves when collecting and a long sleeve shirt otherwise like jumping into a beehive...LOL.

i prefer to eat them in stir fry or soups. or simply just make some tea and drink it.

 

[mad librettist]

mullein supposed to be good for bronchial troubles...

 

[*Journeyman*]

we have lupines here ill have to give that a try come season for it. just eat em like nuts or what?

http://localnewscomesfirst.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=98&Itemid=2

...and the project was/is based in Weed CA...

mullein supposed to be good for bronchial troubles...

Yes from what I understand mullein is good for respiratory issues.

 

[Trichgnomes]

mullein supposed to be good for bronchial troubles...

Makes sense. It is an expectorant. I've used in in tincture form a bunch, have smoked it on occasion, but I think vaporization would be a better route in the future.

 

[unthing]

Nettles pop up everywhere here when it's warn enough..I've understood that they're good for making (veg)fertilizer also. Maybe this year I get my lazy ass to collect them, since they're free resource, but I might avoid those growing close to roads just to be sure.

 

[herbaholic]

comfrey can be used as a source of N and can be used as mulch or mixed directly into the ground to give nutrients at the root zone. Because comfrey's roots dig so deep they bring up a lot of other goodies that might not be available to other plants around it with shallower root systems.

Researchers found comfrey leaves to have an NPK value of 1.8-0.5-5.3 compared to Kelp meal at 1.0-0.5-2.5. . . .

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-3-81-726,00.html